Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association is pursuing new member-driven initiatives to help meet renewable energy demands for its electric cooperatives and public power districts while advancing clean power public policies and supporting electric vehicle technology.
As part of its Responsible Energy Plan, the G&T is committed to meeting half of its electric demand with renewable energy by 2024 and providing member distribution utilities with greater flexibility to independently pursue local or self-supplied renewable energy projects
“Our cooperative and its members are aligned in our transition to clean power,” said Rick Gordon, chairman of Tri-State, which is based in Westminster, Colorado. “With today’s announcement, we’re poised to become a new Tri-State; a Tri-State that will provide reliable, affordable and responsible power to our members and communities for many years to come.”
The plan includes expansion of EV support infrastructure across Tri-State’s 200,000-square-mile footprint, which includes portions of Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Nebraska.
“With a cleaner grid, Tri-State will fund electric vehicle charging stations for each member and will work with members to further promote electric vehicle usage,” said Lee Boughey, Tri-State’s senior manager of communications and public affairs. Boughey said the G&T is expanding its commitment to other opportunities for beneficial electrification.
“Membership in Tri-State will provide the best option for cooperatives seeking a clean, flexible and competitively priced power supply, while still receiving the benefits of being a part of a financially strong, not-for-profit, full-service cooperative,” said Duane Highley, Tri-State’s CEO.
Among the projects highlighted in the Responsible Energy Plan:
- The addition of eight long-term projects to its portfolio, collectively adding nearly 1 gigawatt of renewable energy, including 715 megawatts of solar power at six facilities and 304 MW of wind at two facilities in New Mexico and Colorado.
- Ongoing work by a contract committee made up of representatives of the G&T’s membership to evaluate partial requirements contracts designed to provide members with flexible options to pursue self-supply options.
“Our membership has moved quickly over the past six months to advance recommendations for flexible partial requirements contracts,” said Gordon. The Tri-State board will consider those recommendations in April.
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Derrill Holly is a staff writer at NRECA.